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Pubs up and down the country are anticipating a big summer in 2016. Fuelled by the hopes and sorrows of the home nations, and hopefully some warm weather 2016 will bring an expanded tournament with 20 more matches than in previous years. But to make the most out of the excitement and extra income, pubs need to keep a watchful eye over their overheads and ensure they are not being wasteful. This is especially true when it comes to minimising your energy bills. During summer when you are less dependent on heating and lights, there is a lot of scope to cut energy bills down to an absolute minimum. Here are some of our top tips for pus to keep energy bills low during the tournament without putting off the punters.

Keep windows open instead of turning onto air con

With the inevitable ups and downs that go along with tournament football there’s always going to be some extra body heat generated. And with a summer heatwave on the horizon anyway, pub landlords will have to go the extra mile to keep customers cool this summer. Air conditioning should be used as a last resort, it can be noisy and can suck the atmosphere out of an otherwise vibrant pub – not to mention all of the electricity that it uses.  Try keeping windows or doors open to prevent guests from overheating.

Set a discounted sports menu

Depending on your client base, food could be crucial to attracting extra customers. While there will always be a group of fanatics for whom wet sales will be the most important, there are other groups of pubgoers wanting to turn the match into more of a social occasion. Food is great for getting them to come and stay for a while after the game has ended. To save energy in the kitchen, you could design a special sports menu, that incorporates a few easy ‘core’ items like chicken wings, burgers or hot dogs to help you fill more orders in a short space of time and with less wastage in the kitchen. Serving food at a slight discount is another way to make sure that you are the football fan’s venue of choice this summer. For more tips on how to cut energy costs in the kitchen, check out this helpful guide from Manchester Metropolitan University and Robinson’s Brewery.

Filter out the sun’s rays and eliminate screen glare

Screen glare can be a problem when showing afternoon games. You can use drapes, blinds or screen tints to reduce the amount sun light that gets into the room. Using these sun blockers can also help keep rooms cool by minimising the extra heat getting into the room.

Ensure you are on the right tariff

A lot of pubs are on quite poor energy tariffs. As a rule of thumb, if you haven’t found a new energy quote in the last few years, then you probably aren’t on the right possible tariff. Utility Helpline work with hundreds of pubs and pubcos across Britain to help them find the right deal on their energy. We like building strong relationships with our clients and work with them across long periods to help them manage their energy bills. For more information, visit our publican and licensed premises page.